The Devil Writes a Love Song
by nithman
Summary: After the events of the anime, Maou finds a guitar, Emi makes a realization, and a few new enemies come to pay them both a visit. A series of strange oneshots. Sort of AU, with a few OCs. Maou x Emi
1. Chapter 1 - Guitar

**Takes place right after the end of the anime. Sorry, I haven't read the light novels. I do know the gist of the plot after the end of the anime, so have no fear, dear readers! I kinda know what I'm doing. This will be a series with each chapter focusing on one song. The first song is "7 Years" by Lukas Graham, with some lyrics changed to suit the story. I've taken some liberties with demon culture and music.**

**FYI, this will be a bit of a slow burn. No love songs yet. But plenty of MaouxEmi! Enjoy!**

**Of course, I don't own anything. [insert standard disclamer here]**

* * *

**Chapter 1:**

**The Devil Serendipitously Acquires a Guitar**

Maou didn't know what to think of it.

He could still see it clearly, the moment Emi walked up to him. The moment she handed him the umbrella. The light, teasing tone of her voice. The slight blush that painted her cheeks. The way she had twirled her umbrella with a smile after he had said thank you.

The patter of the rain, drowning out the sound of Maou's own pounding heartbeat.

"Maou-san! Watch the fries!" cried Chiho from the cash register nearby.

Maou growled at himself and brought his focus back to his work, finishing the burger he was making. The fries were nearly done, he would have to take them out soon. He had to control his distracted thoughts. It the fries were burnt, Ms. Kisaki would have his head.

Still, he couldn't stop thinking about last night.

Maybe they didn't have to be enemies anymore, the Hero and the Devil.

Around others, he would never stop being Satan the Demon King, and she would never stop being Emilia the Hero, but when it was just the two of them, maybe they could let themselves be who they really wanted to be. _Emi and Maou._

He liked the sound of that.

"Maa-kun!" came Kisaki's voice. "Do I smell burning fries?"

He yelped and raced to the deep-fryer.

Even then, he couldn't stop thinking about it. _Maybe things could finally change._

And though the Demon King wouldn't ever admit it to himself, he had never seen anyone quite as beautiful as Emi had been that night.

* * *

Emi yawned and stretched her arms, walking lazily back from work. It had been a busy day, and she would have normally left work exhausted and crabby, but today was different. Today she was too busy thinking. Something had happened yesterday, between her and Maou. Emi didn't know what drove her to give him the umbrella. She was just so . . . _tired_ of keeping up the act.

The more she thought about it, the less she could find it in herself to hate him.

No matter what he had ordered his armies to do on Ente Isla, Maou was not a cold-blooded killer. He just didn't have that look in his eyes. And nowadays, she had begun to wonder whether she could even call him evil at all. Because he _wasn't_ evil. He wasn't cruel, or manipulative, or heartless. He was the exact opposite of everything she had wanted him to be.

The truth was, he had a kinder heart than any man she had ever met.

So the umbrella was her way of saying both _I'm sorry_ and _I forgive you_ at the same time. Not exactly a forgiveness, not exactly a friendship, but a connection.

An acceptance.

They were tied together, it seemed, by the strings of fate. The least she could do was get used to him.

Besides, she couldn't lie to herself. They completed each other, the Devil and the Hero.

Sure, they annoyed each other at every chance they got, but even Lucifer had mentioned that they argued like an old married couple. Maou was special to her. Nobody else could match that infuriating smile, nobody else could live up to that sarcastic drawl. Nobody else could make her _so damn angry_ and yet _so truly happy_ at the same time.

Not a colorful or exuberant happiness. A quiet sort of happiness.

The happiness that came with sharing a smile as they outsmarted the conman who had cheated Urushihara. The happiness that came when she stopped by MgRonalds for lunch on her days off just to annoy him. The happiness that came with meeting him at the street corner on a cold rainy night, seeing him give her that sideways _look_ that he never gave to anyone else.

The look that said, _"Hey, we're supposed to be enemies, but . . . we both know we're something more than that."_

The look that made her feel as if they were sharing some sort of secret, something only the two of them knew.

She shook her head.

_Get a hold of yourself, Emi_. _In the end, he's still the Demon King, and you're still the Hero. Even if you don't want to be._

Maou had done unforgivable things, and even if Emi could understand him a little, she could never forgive him entirely. And she would never forget. Not after all the pain and blood and violence she had seen, not after all the innocent lives that had been lost. As much as it looked like he had changed, Emi knew one thing. Demons were long-lived, patient, and incredibly good actors, and Satan Jacob was the king of demons.

That sobered her up a little.

_I need to talk to him._

Abruptly, she changed her course as she was walking, her decision made. She would just walk up to Villa Rosa Sasazuka and confront him. There were many so things she needed to know.

* * *

Maou was on his way home from MgRonalds late in the evening when he passed by another apartment complex close to Villa Rosa Sasazuka. Normally, he would have walked past it just as he had every other day, but this time, something caught his eye. The man who lived there—Uzumaki Naruto, he believed the name was—was clearing out everything.

"Hey, Mr. Uzumaki!" called Maou. "Are you moving?"

"Ah, Maou. Yeah, I lost my job a week ago, and I was almost evicted. But I just got a job offer on the other side of the city, so . . . this neighborhood has always felt like home to me, but I guess it's time to pack up and move on, you know?"

"Yeah, change is good, Mr. Uzumaki. Good luck at your new job!"

Uzumaki smiled. "Thanks. Hey, I was planning to dump all of this stuff, but if you want anything, be my guest! I can't afford to move it all to my new place anyway."

Maou surveyed all the items. Nothing particularly useful for him. Used furniture, rusty frying pans, a strange-looking headband.

And then he saw it.

Maou took a sharp breath. He could have recognized that shape anywhere. "Where did you get that?"

"Oh, that old thing?" Mr. Uzumaki shrugged. "I dunno. It used to be my father's, before he passed away. I just keep it around for decoration now. I always wanted to learn, but I never found the time. Do you know how to use it?"

The Demon King nodded.

"Feel free to have it, then," said Mr. Uzumaki with a smile. "Make it useful again. It's what my father would have wanted."

Maou, too shocked to express his gratitude, gave a little bow. "I will."

That was how Maou found himself walking home in the early evening dark, feeling satisfied with life and carrying an old guitar over his shoulder. And not just any guitar. An Ente Islan demon guitar, just like the one his mother had once played, so many centuries ago.

Maou had no idea how it had gotten here, but it made him wonder whether others had crossed from Ente Isla to Earth before he had. If this guitar had belonged to Uzumaki's father, it was very likely that someone from the Isles had brought it here decades ago.

But to be honest, Maou didn't care. His heart was elsewhere, remembering moments passed.

_Mama, why do you like to sing so much?_

_Because_, his mother had said. _It makes you smile_.

* * *

"Your Highness . . ." Ashiya was at a loss for words. "This is . . ."

Maou smiled. "Wanna hear a song?"

As strange as it was, Urushihara was the one to break the silence with an excited whoop. "Hell yeah! It's been centuries since we heard you sing!"

"You want to do the honors, Ashiya?" said Maou. "Pick a song. One of _our_ songs."

Ashiya's eyes filled with tears. He knew exactly what Maou was talking about. The folk songs of the demon tribes. As violent, brutal, and cultureless demon society had been before King Satan's reign, even the demon tribes had their own music. In that sense, thought Ashiya, there was no difference at all between any of them. Demons, humans, angels—music was their common language.

"Seven Years," said Alciel.

Maou grinned. "Didn't your old man write that song after he became your clan's leader?"

Ashiya nodded, reminiscent. "My father was a gifted poet. This was his last song." He sighed. "I still remember the day he became chief of our iron scorpion clan. How many centuries ago that was . . . I've lost count of the years."

Maou leaned comfortably against a wall, strumming the strings lazily, as if testing the waters.

There was a short silence, an expectation.

And then Ashiya remembered why his lord was so much more than just a Demon King.

No matter where he lived, no matter how old he became, Satan Jacob would never forget where he came from.

_Once I was seven years old, my momma told me,_  
_Go make yourself some friends or you'll be lonely,_  
_Once I was seven years old. . ._

_It was a big big world, but we thought we were bigger, pushing each other to the limits, we were learning quicker,_  
_Well they say the water's sweet but our blood is thicker, never rich so we were out to make that steady figure,_

_Once I was seventy years old my daddy told me_  
_Go get yourself a job or you'll go hungry_  
_Once I was seventy years old. . ._

_I always had that dream, like my daddy before me, so between the wars and fights, I started writing stories,_  
_Something about that glory just always seemed to bore me, 'cause only those I really love will ever really know me,_

_Once I was two hundred years old, my heart was so bold  
I was conquerin' everything I saw before me  
Once I was two hundred years old. . ._

_I only see my goals, I don't believe in failure, 'cause I know the smallest demons, they can make it major_  
_I got my boys with me, at least those in favor, and if we don't meet before I leave, I hope I'll see you later_

_Soon I'll be centuries old, my daddy got six-hundred-one,_  
_Remember life and then your life becomes a better one,_  
_I made a boy so happy when I told a story once,_  
_I hope my children come and visit once or twice a month!_

_Soon I'll be centuries old, will I think the world is cold?_  
_Or will I have a loving family that can warm me?_  
_Soon I'll be centuries old. . ._

_Once I was seven years old, my momma told me,_  
_Go make yourself some friends or you'll be lonely_  
_Once I was seven years old..._

Silence reigned in the Devil's Castle for a long moment. Ashiya was in tears, Urushihara was grinning widely.

Maou had his eyes closed, a small smile lighting up his face.

And outside the door, Emilia the Hero was standing in utter shock.

She was rarely surprised by anything that happened at the Devil's Castle these days. The place was such a magnet for strangeness that she had begun to expect the unexpected. But no matter how prepared she had thought she was, she had not been prepared for this.

The Devil could sing?

Unable to comprehend what she had just heard, and unwilling to interrupt the demons' touching moment, Emi moved her hand away from the door handle and silently walked away. She would talk to Maou, but it could wait until another day.

Right now, she had too much to think about.

* * *

**Reviews are always appreciated!**


	2. Chapter 2 - Enemies

**I'm not exactly sure where this plot is going. But it's going somewhere!**

**Today's song is "Natural" by Imagine Dragons.**

* * *

**Chapter 2:**

**The Devil Realizes He Has Enemies**

Maou was walking home from work late at night when he saw her again.

The same street corner, the same time in the evening.

"Maou! Have we made this a tradition, then?" she asked dryly as he approached.

"It seems destiny has tied us together," Maou sighed dramatically. "What cruel torture is this, fate? What evils have I committed, that I must atone for by seeing your face every day?"

Emi rolled her eyes. "Drama queen."

"You mean Demon King," Maou replied with a smirk.

"Maou, the only thing you're king of right now is the late-night shift at the Hatagaya MgRonalds," she shot back.

Maou grinned. He would never admit it, but these moments, talking with her, were the best part of his day.

"How was your day, Emi?"

She paused, slowly blushing pink. "Eh? What sort of a question is that?"

Maou scoffed. "A friendly one, idiot. Now are you gonna answer me?"

Emi gazed at him for a second, as if unsure what to think of his intentions, but eventually she gave in.

"Well since you asked," she said, "today was awful, and seeing you has added insult to injury!"

Maou blinked skeptically. "It couldn't have been that bad."

"Oh, you have _no idea_ how infuriating these stupid callers are," she began. And from there, she launched into a rant about her worst customers and experiences of the day, some of which made even Maou feel angry. Sure, Emi was his enemy, but from what she was describing, nobody deserved to live through such torture as Customer Service for Docodemo.

_I could get used to this_, thought Maou. _Hearing her complain every day. It's kinda entertaining_.

"Hey, Maou?"

"Yeah?"

Emi's eyes were narrowed suspiciously. "You've been really quiet. What are you plotting?"

Maou rolled his eyes. "What, isn't a man allowed to think every once in a while?"

The Hero scoffed. "You? Thinking? I don't believe it."

"Yeah, well," said Maou. "_Get down!_"

He pushed Emi to the ground, landing on top of her just as a fireball roared past their heads.

"Seriously, Emi," he smirked. "How many times has it been that I've saved your-"

Maou was blown away from Emi by another fireball, his body scraping across the concrete. He could already feel his demon magic at work, healing the bruises and burns, but they did nothing to ease the pain. Not that he minded. He was Satan Jacob, he had pain and waffles for breakfast.

Sometimes, though, Maou hated the fragility of his too-human body.

He tried to get up, coughing up blood. His vision was hazy. Before him, he saw a streak of crimson hair. "Maou!"

"Emi? Behind . . ."

Suddenly, a ring of fire erupted around them. Maou cursed the fact that it was night and nobody was around, or he could have fed off their fear to boost his magic. From the middle of the ring, Maou saw a shadowy figure, dressed in all-gray robes.

Emi stood her ground in front of him.

The dark figure suddenly removed their hood. Maou was sure he knew that face, but couldn't quite place where he'd seen it. It was a young man, with bleached, snow-white hair and pale red eyes. "Emilia the Hero. Have you fallen so low to the dark side that you would defend the Demon King?"

"Whether he was Demon King or not," she replied, "in this world, Maou Sadao is only a human. You would kill him out in the open? In the middle of a street?"

The man shrugged. "What difference does it make? Do you think the demons cared where and how they killed humans during the war?"

Emi froze. It was true. The demons had killed indiscriminately. Men, women, the elderly, children, they were all slaughtered, no difference.

The white-haired man grinned, as if he could see right through her.

"What do you want?" she growled. "I won't let you kill him."

She felt a light touch on her shoulder. She turned to see Maou struggling to keep his balance.

"Emi," he whispered. "Just go. Walk away. I don't want you to get hurt."

The Hero's eyes narrowed in anger. "_Get hurt?_"

"You don't understand, Emi. Just go." Maou pushed her behind him, so he could face the young man head-on.

She was growing angrier by the second. "What the hell are you talking about, Maou? You're the one who's hurt! What is up with you? I'm trying to _protect_ you!"

He turned to her, uncharacteristically serious. "You can't fight this one."

The enemy smiled smugly. "So you do recognize me, Demon King. I thought you'd forgotten my face."

"I don't forget the faces of children. Especially not those whose parents I've killed."

The young man's expression darkened immediately. "You admit it then? You . . . you've got some nerve, you goddamn Devil! I spent so many years looking for you, ready to spit in your face and ask whether you even remember killing my parents, and you just up and admit it?"

Emi's heart froze over. _Another one. Just like me._

_"_Maou,_"_ she whispered. "What is he talking about?"

"Morpheus Arcanum, isn't it?" said Maou to the man. "I know who you are."

Emi gasped. _Arcanum_. She knew that name. It was infamous among magic users, taboo to even be spoken.

"He's the son of two necromancers, black mages," Maou said quietly to her. "His parents were murderers. They sowed terror among their own kind, killed so many humans and demons alike during the war. I could not let that go."

"You killed them, damn it! They were my PARENTS! You took them from me!" Morpheus raged at him. "And I will have my vengeance."

Maou stood tall, keeping Emi behind him. "Face me in a fair fight, then, black mage. Don't involve her in this. Or anyone else."

Emi wanted to protest, but her voice died in her throat when she felt the force of Maou's grip on her wrist. He was scared, she realized. Scared for her life.

"You deserve a fair chance at killing me," Maou continued, "but I'll only give you one chance."

There was a long silence, filled with the crackle of fire. Then, a sharp, sadistic laugh.

"_Kill_ you?" mocked Morpheus. "No, I don't want to kill you. I've got something better in mind."

He raised his hands, which blazed with light in a split second. Emi's eyes widened. A forbidden spell. The last thing Emi felt was Maou shoving her to the side, as far as he could from the spell. The blast hit Maou dead-on, burning an afterimage into Emi's retinas and leaving her ears ringing. For a second she couldn't feel anything. As she finally shook off the effects of the magic, she struggled to her feet and staggered over to Maou.

He was standing on his feet in the middle of the ring of fire, still as a statue, his back turned to her.

Morpheus was nowhere to be seen.

"Maou?"

No reply. She walked to his side, tapping his shoulder.

"Maou? Hey, you okay? Satan. Maou Satan! Answer me!"

She turned his face toward her, and saw a sight she had never, ever expected to see. A sight so terrible, even her heart broke a little.

"What . . . Maou, what did he do to you?"

The Devil's jaw was clenched, his face streaked with tears.

"Maou?" she whispered.

He didn't answer, only turned his head away. He slowly fell to his knees, his body wracked with silent sobs, tears falling freely from his eyes.

Emi was scared now. She didn't know why. Never before had she seen her nemesis so helpless, so vulnerable. So she did the only thing she could do. She sat down beside him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. For a long time, long after the fires had all died out, the Hero held the Devil while he cried.

* * *

He had sent Emi home. She had seemed worried about him, though he couldn't understand why she would be.

_By all rights, she should be celebrating,_ he thought.

As the Hero, even she couldn't make a punishment for the Devil as fitting as this. He knew that Emi didn't know what that forbidden spell had done to him. Neither did Ashiya or Lucifer or Suzuno, when they had found him in the street with Emi and patched up his wounds. They bandaged and cleaned every wound, but couldn't find the source of the pain that tortured him. But Maou knew that spell. He knew what it did.

How could he not? He was feeling the effects even now, in every waking moment.

Feeling the pain of all the thousands of deaths he was responsible for.

Feeling the sorrow of all the millions of lives he'd ruined forever.

Maou knew the cost of war, but never before had he felt it like this.

The Demon King didn't do anything. He _couldn't_ do anything. It was black magic, irreversible. Maou knew where Morpheus had disappeared to. Black mages sacrificed a portion of their souls to cast forbidden spells, and in this, Morpheus had given up every last sliver of his being. Maou would be cursed for the rest of his life. And for once, the Devil felt that he deserved it. This was true justice, an eye for an eye.

The nightmares wouldn't stop.

Silently, while the Castle slept, Maou took his guitar and stepped outside. He struggled down the cursed steps and sat at the very bottom. For a long moment, he just waited in the cold dark. Waited for something, anything to come to him.

And then he sang.

_Will you hold the line? When every one of them is giving up or giving in, tell me?_  
_In this house of mine? Nothing ever comes without a consequence or cost, tell me._  
_Will the stars align? Will heaven step in? Will it save us from our sin? Will it?_  
_'Cause this house of mine stands strong..._

_That's the price you pay, leave behind your heartache, cast away_  
_Just another product of today, rather be the hunter than the prey_  
_And you're standing on the edge, face up 'cause you're a natural,_  
_A beating heart of stone,_  
_You gotta be so cold,_  
_To make it in this world,_  
_Yeah, you're a natural,_  
_Living your life cutthroat,_  
_You gotta be so cold,_  
_Yeah, you're a natural..._

_Will somebody let me see the light within the dark trees' shadows and_  
_What's happenin'? Lookin' through the glass find the wrong within the past knowin'_  
_We are the youth, cut until it bleeds, inside a world without the peace facing_  
_A bit of the truth, the truth..._

_That's the price you pay, leave behind your heartache, cast away_  
_Just another product of today, rather be the hunter than the prey_  
_And you're standing on the edge, face up 'cause you're a natural,_  
_A beating heart of stone,_  
_You gotta be so cold,_  
_To make it in this world_  
_Yeah, you're a natural_  
_Living your life cutthroat_  
_You gotta be so cold_  
_Yeah, you're a natural..._

Suzuno had heard the sound coming from outside in the dead of night. She was a light sleeper, so the moment she knew something was off, she crept silently out of bed and cracked open the door. A voice. Singing?

She sneaked forward, pausing when she saw a silhouette on the steps. _Maou?_

Curious, she listened in. Then she realized what he was singing about, and she suddenly knew what they had missed. There were no deep wounds on the Demon Lord's body, and everyone had been confused at his silence and his tears. But now Suzuno knew where his pain came from.

She would tell Emi and Ashiya tomorrow. The Devil needed help.

"Suzuno?"

_Crap._ He had noticed her.

She struggled to find the right words. "Sadao, I . . ."

"Please don't tell them." Maou's eyes shone a terrible red in the dark. "I can handle it. They don't need to know. Besides . . . they won't be any help."

Suzuno knew all too well how Maou felt. The guilt of bloodstained hands. It was a pain that had no cure.

* * *

**Reviews are always appreciated!**


	3. Chapter 3 - Advice

**A short but bittersweet chapter, where Lucifer connects the dots. A few days after the previous chapter. Idk what Luci's real backstory is, but I added some of my own theories.**

**The song is "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen, with some modified lyrics.**

* * *

**Chapter 3:**

**The Fallen Angel Gives Relationship Advice**

It was early morning. Maou put his phone back in his pocket, letting out a sigh. With Ashiya out buying groceries, the Devil's Castle was eerily quiet. Urushihara was in the corner on his laptop, completely tuning out the world around him. Or so Maou had thought, until the fallen angel spoke up.

"You can't hide it forever."

Maou turned to him. "What?"

"You heard me the first time," said Lucifer. "You can't hide it."

"What makes you think I have something to hide?" asked Maou.

"You can't fool me," drawled Urushihara. "The others, maybe, but not me. It's killing you, isn't it?"

There was a long silence.

"A lot of things are killing me, Urushihara," the Devil replied softly. "My thoughts, my dreams, the air I breathe. Nothing I can do about any of them, so I hide them away. Isn't that what we all do? Why do you care, anyway?"

"Cause whether I like it or not, you're my king," said Urushihara. "And my friend."

The last few words were spoken in barely a whisper, but they both knew he'd said it.

"Emi called you again, didn't she," Urushihara said. It wasn't a question.

Maou didn't answer.

"What is this, the fiftieth time? You need to stop avoiding her. Go talk to her before she barges in here and tries kicking our door down."

"And if you know I'm your king," growled Maou, "_you_ need to stop giving me orders."

"I'm trying to help you, dumbass," Urushihara snapped back. "Go talk to her. She's worried sick. She calls when you're at work, you know. Asks why you don't see her anymore, why you avoid that one street crossing. She wants to help you, Maou. For once, she's trying to show that she _cares_."

"And how could she help me? How could _you_? You don't even know what my problem is, Lucifer."

"Actually," said Urushihara. "I do. Want me to tell you?" The two demons were caught in a deadly glaring match.

"Enlighten me," spat Maou.

"You can't close your eyes," said the fallen angel simply. "Because of what haunts you in the dark."

Maou froze.

"You can't eat, because all you taste is ash and blood. You can't drink, because no amount of water is going to quench the fire burning at the bottom of your soul. You can't cry, because if you did, you would cry an ocean, and you can't look in a mirror because you want to kill your own reflection."

Lucifer was right, of course. On every account.

"You're pathetic," Urushihara finished, surprisingly angry. "You avoid Chiho, you don't say so much as good morning to Suzuno. Hell, you can't even say a word to Emi! You won't even look me in the eyes right now. Because the guilt is destroying you."

Maou didn't answer. He didn't need to. The expression on his face was enough.

"Cursed with all the pain you've caused," said Urushihara. "That's what that Arcanum kid did to you, isn't it? The Seventh Forbidden Spell?"

There was a long silence.

Maou sighed in defeat. "What do I do, Lucifer? I . . . need help."

Urushihara nodded slowly, as if coming to a decision. "Do you know why I fell from heaven, Maou?"

"What does this have to do with anything?"

"It has everything to do with this."

"Fine," said Maou. "Because you were bored?"

"That was half the reason," Lucifer replied. "The other half of the reason . . . do you know how old I am?" When Maou didn't reply, Lucifer simply continued. "_Eons_, Maou. Thousands upon thousands of years I've lived. And do you know how many times I fell in love?" Lucifer paused. "_Once_. Exactly once. She . . . she was the real reason I fell from heaven. And I lost her. I lost her to heaven's wrath when they found out."

Maou didn't know what to say.

"They killed her, and I . . ." Lucifer's voice cracked with pain. "I couldn't . . ."

"What was she like?"

Lucifer looked up in shock. "What?"

"What was she like, Luce?"

The fallen angel sat stone-still for a second, then grinned sadly. "She was a spitfire. Her glares could kill, but so could her smiles. She had a sharp tongue, and an even sharper mind. But what I fell for was her voice. She had the voice of an angel . . ." Lucifer was at the verge of tears. "Losing her . . . it broke me. Turned me into _this_." He gestured to himself. "But if I could do it all over again, Maou . . . I wouldn't change a second of it." Lucifer's voice grew softer. "Love can tear us apart, but at the same time, it's the only thing that can keep a broken heart together. Just think on that, alright?"

Maou stood silent for a moment, lost in thought. "I'm going to work. I'll get you a pork bowl for dinner."

"Hey!" complained Urushihara. "Damn it, that's not fair! I gave you good life advice you and I told you my sob story and everything! And all I get for dinner is a pork bowl? This is abuse!"

The Devil rolled his eyes. "Now I'm starting to doubt the truthfulness of your story. But I'll get you some dessert, too. Don't expect any more than that, you lazy leech." He paused. "Thanks, Urushihara."

"Yeah, yeah," the fallen angel huffed. "Just . . . don't tell anyone, okay?"

Maou smiled. "I won't."

"God," said Urushihara. "I was trying to help you feel better, and now I feel like shit!"

The Devil patted Urushihara's head as he walked to the door. "The guitar is in the closet. I've found that singing my throat out usually helps me feel a little better. And for once, try not to sit at your computer all day. It's bad for your eyes."

Urushihara gave a short bark of a laugh. "I'll consider it. Stop worrying about me, you're the one who needs it. Now get to work, _Dad_."

Maou rolled his eyes and left, shutting the door quietly. Silence hung in the air after he left, leaving the fallen angel to his thoughts. And Lucifer had to agree with one thing Maou had said. Thoughts, dreams, the air they breathed, everything was slowly killing them.

But the difference between Maou and Lucifer was, Lucifer couldn't die. He would suffer for the rest of eternity.

Urushihara sat still for a second, then sighed.

"The guitar, huh?"

* * *

Suzuno was making breakfast when she heard the voice on the other side of the wall. She couldn't help it; the walls were paper-thin, and the rest of the apartment complex was deathly quiet.

For a second she thought it was Maou again, but it wasn't.

This voice was lighter, softer.

The voice of an angel.

And as she listened, Suzuno realized why Lucifer acted the way he did. Just like the rest of them, he put up a mask, a carefully crafted act. But now that everyone was gone, when he thought he was alone, he let his pain show. She could see into his soul, just a little.

She didn't know the song he sang, but the song knew her. The chords struck her heart even more clearly than her ears.

_Well I've heard there was a secret chord_  
_That David played and it pleased the Lord_  
_But you don't really care for music, do ya?_  
_Well it goes like this:_  
_The fourth, the fifth, the minor fall and the major lift_  
_The baffled king composing Hallelujah_

_Hallelujah, h__allelujah, h__allelujah, h__allelujah_

_Well your faith was strong but you needed proof_  
_You heard her singing on the roof_  
_Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew ya_  
_You fell from heaven to be by her side,_  
_But she left this world, before her time,_  
_And from your lips she drew a Hallelujah_

_Hallelujah, h__allelujah, h__allelujah, h__allelujah_

_And maybe there's a God above,_  
_But all I've ever learned from love_  
_Was how to lose somebody who outdrew ya,_

_And it's not a cry that you hear at night,_  
_It's not somebody who's seen the light,_  
_It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah..._

A while later, Suzuno knocked on her neighbors' door.

"Who is it?" grumbled Urushihara. "Is that you, Bell?"

"I brought breakfast," she offered.

Lucifer opened the door, his eyes dark and his hair disheveled.

"Maou already left," he said quietly.

"The breakfast is for you," she replied. "I . . . heard you singing."

"Oh." He wouldn't meet her gaze.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked.

There was a long, uncomfortable silence. Slowly, he nodded. "Yeah. Maybe I do."

* * *

**Some Suzu x Rushi, just for fun. Reviews are always appreciated!**


	4. Chapter 4 - Heart

**TIMESKIP! ****We're now in Alas=Ramus territory, folks. **

**I've also realized that this isn't really a true AU. ****Although they are loosely related and in chronological order****, these are just a bunch of strange oneshots, really. So I guess I will be vaguely following the plot of the light novels. Today's song is "Old Town Road" by Lil Nas X. That song has been stuck in my head for hours. It's addictive, I'm telling you.**

* * *

**Chapter 4:**

**The Hero Listens to Her Heart**

Emi was walking home - _no, she shouldn't think of it as home_ \- she was walking toward Villa Rosa Sasazuka, absentmindedly thinking about everything that had happened over the past month. An apple had turned into a little girl, Maou and Emi had become unwilling parents, and over the time they had spent caring for Alas=Ramus, Emi had grown to love the little girl like her own daughter.

The side effect of that, of course, was that her feelings toward Maou were even more muddled than ever.

_Anything else,_ she tried to tell herself. _Think of anything except Maou._ _Aaa...apples! Alas=Ramus! Yeah, Alas=Ramus and Maou... Wait, no! Not Maou! Aaa...Ashiya! Wait, what is Ashiya doing?_

Before she knew it, Emi found herself at the door to the Devil's Castle. Strangely enough, Ashiya was standing in front of the door, one ear pressed close to it.

"Ashiya?" she asked.

The demon's eyes widened and he put a finger to his lips. He waved her over.

"I went to buy groceries," he whispered. "And when I came back . . ." He gestured to the door.

Emi curiously pressed her own ear against it, listening in.

"One more time, Papa! One more!"

"Alright, Alas! You ready?"

"Yeah! Take horsie! Down road!"

Maou's soft laughter. "Wait until I start, sweetie! It's more fun to sing it together."

"Oops. Sorry, Papa. I'm ready now!"

"Ready? Okay. Three, two, one..."

_I'm gonna take my horse to the old town road,_  
_I'm gonna RIIIIIDE 'til I can't no more_  
_I'm gonna take my horse to the old town road_  
_I'm gonna RIIIIDE 'til I can't no more_

_I got the horses in the back,_  
_Horse tack is attached,_  
_Hat is matte black,_  
_Got the boots that's black to match,_

_Ridin on a horse, ha, you can whip your Porsche,_  
_I been in the valley, you ain't been up off that porch, now!_

_Can't nobody tell me NOTHIN', you can't tell me nothin'_  
_Can't nobody tell me nothin', nah, you can't tell me nooooothin'_

_Yeah, I'm gonna take my horse to the old town road,_  
_I'm gonna riiiide'til I can't no more_  
_I'm gonna take my horse to the old town road_  
_I'm gonna riiiiide 'til I can't no more!_

_Can't nobody tell me nothin', you can't tell me nothin'_  
_Can't nobody tell me nooooothin', nah,_  
_You can't tell me NOTHIN'!_

"Oi, keep it down!" came Lucifer's voice. "You're gonna scare the neighbors."

Emi could hear both father and daughter collapsing into a fit of unstoppable giggles.

"Okay, that's enough for one night. It's time for bed, Alas!"

"But I don't wanna! One more song! Pwease?"

"We can sing as many songs as you want tomorrow, okay? Papa has the day off. Come on! Bedtime, Alas."

"But . . . dessert?"

"No . . ."

"Pwease?"

Maou sighed. "Alright, sweetie. Do you want chocolate or ice cream?"

Despite herself, Emi's heart filled with warmth. _He would make an amazing father._

"He would," agreed Ashiya.

Emi blinked, then blushed fiery crimson. "Did I say that out loud? I meant-"

Ashiya smiled. "There's no need to hide it, Emilia. Maou-sama is the perfect type of man to be a father."

Emi thought about this for a long moment, then waved Ashiya down the steps and pulled him over.

"Listen, Ashiya," she began. "I . . . need an honest opinion."

Ashiya looked at her in confusion.

"I think, maybe I've been seeing him in just one way for so long that I can't really wrap my head around seeing him . . . like this," said Emi hesitantly. "Ashiya, what do you think of Maou?"

The demon general's eyes widened, before settling on a knowing look. "Well, Emilia, if you want my honest, entirely unbiased opinion, Satan Jacob is the most amazing man or demon in either world, Earth or Ente Isla."

She rolled her eyes. "I knew I shouldn't have asked you."

"No, hear me out for a second," said Ashiya. "Have you ever met anyone as kind, or as protective, or as selfless as Maou-sama? Have you ever seen anyone with such unstoppable determination to help others, to help his people, that he would even defy Heaven to do it? Could you even imagine the strength it must take, to be able to live with the guilt of the things he's done? The things he's seen? Could you even imagine a demon who finds a child entirely by chance, then proceeds to love the child as his very own daughter?"

Emi didn't have an answer.

Ashiya smiled. "Maou Satan is a lover, not a fighter. _That_ is why I followed him, why all the demons followed him. He accepts everyone as they are, cares for everyone as much as he can, gives himself for others' happiness. He listens to his heart." Ashiya shot her a smirk. "Maybe it's time, Hero, that you started listening to yours?"

Emi blushed again.

She knew what her heart was telling her, but she wasn't sure she was ready to listen.

"Go on," said Ashiya. "They're waiting for you."

She walked up the stairs, the demon general following behind. She reached the door, waiting for a moment to listen. Alas was still awake.

Emi opened the door and stepped inside. _Home. Love. __Listen to your heart._

"Alas=Ramus!" she called. "Mama's home!"

* * *

**Reviews are always appreciated!**


	5. Chapter 5 - Argument

**Takes place after Emi loses her job. Not sure when exactly that is in the plot of the novels.**

**The song is "After Rain" by Dermot Kennedy. The acoustic version is amazing, one of my all time favorites.**

* * *

**Chapter 5:**

**The Devil and the Hero Have a Friendly Argument**

Suzuno sat playing with Alas=Ramus at eleven in the night, trying everything in her power to distract the child from the explosive argument occurring next door.

"Mama and Papa 'r fighting again," whispered Alas sadly.

Suzuno smiled. "Don't worry about them, sweetie. Hey, we're _so_ close to finishing this puzzle! Help Uncle Rushi find the piece!"

"Okaay," sighed Alas=Ramus. "Uncle Rushi, windmill. Windmill goes here!"

"Yeah, yeah," said Urushihara lazily. "Here you go, kiddo."

"Tank you..." the little girl yawned. Suzuno and Urushihara shared a look. It was way past Alas' bedtime. A few more minutes, and hopefully, if Maou and Emi kept their arguing quiet enough, Alas would be fast asleep. And then Suzuno could rest easy. Maou and Emi had been arguing for at least half an hour, and the only reason Suzuno had interfered was to take Alas=Ramus from them, because she cared about the child's wellbeing.

_Although today's __argument seems quieter than usual,_ thought Suzuno. Less of an argument and more of an angry conversation.

"What do you mean, you can't?!" Maou's voice rang across the wall.

Suzuno groaned in annoyance. Alas blinked her eyes open again, pouting.

"I just can't, alright?!" Emi shouted back.

Maou's voice grew angrier. "Well, I can't just let the mother of my child live like this! Emi, why can't you swallow your pride for once and just take the money? Admit it, you need everything you can get!"

"Shut up! I won't be relying on loans from the Devil, no matter how desperate I am!"

"It's not a loan when we're . . . argh, I'm trying to help you, damn it!"

"Shove it, Maou! I'm done! Come talk to me in the morning!"

Suzuno and Lucifer both jolted uncomfortably at the sound of a door slamming shut.

A long silence came after, followed by something else.

Suzuno stood and looked out the window. Emi was leaning against Maou's door, looking exhausted, silently crying. Suzuno knew Emi was having a hard time financially, ever since she lost her job, but she hadn't known that it was this bad. Suzuno was about to go out and comfort the Hero, but Urushihara shook his head from the side. She shot him a questioning look. He replied with a roll of his eyes.

But Suzuno had gotten quite good at reading Lucifer's face by now.

_This is their spat,_ he seemed to say. _Let them handle it. Just wait._

And that was when Suzuno truly realized it. This wasn't an argument at all. This was a family squabble. Though their voices were loud and violent, Maou and Emi weren't angry. Something had changed, thought Suzuno, over the many months since Alas had first appeared in their lives.

Suzuno sighed and sat back down, putting Alas=Ramus in her lap.

"Auntie Suzu?"

She turned to the little girl, who was staring at her with wide eyes.

"Yes, Alas?"

Alas=Ramus looked to the ground uncertainly. "Do Mama and Papa really love each other?"

Suzuno thought for a moment, aware of the apartment's paper-thin walls, and aware Emi sitting not too far outside near their door, and aware of Maou listening from the room next door. "Sweetie, your Mama and Papa . . . love each other with all their hearts. They love each other forever and ever. They love each other so very much that they're scared to tell each other. They don't know how to say it, so they argue and fight, but they show it where it counts. They're always there for each other when they need each other the most."

Alas smiled tiredly. "Dat's what I thought too . . . thanks Auntie Suzu . . . I sleepy . . ."

Suzuno smiled. "Goodnight, kiddo."

"Papa's singing again..."

And the little girl was right. Suzuno could hear the soft strum of guitar chords, drifting through the walls and filling the warm silence of the apartments.

_I call arrows to fall short,_  
_Because the snow is at our feet,_  
_And when embraces subside, and the lilies have died,_  
_It comes down to her tears on a sheet._

_But it's alright because_  
_You cause lanterns to light,_  
_And force demons disperse,_  
_And if the devil may fear the swift drying of tears,_  
_Then for evil, you could not be worse._

_But I see you now, yeah I see you,_  
_And release me now, kinda like dreams do,_  
_And I see you now, it's hard to see you,_  
_Just don't forget to sing._  
_Remember everything..._

_You're the only little girl I know_  
_Who'd bring a kite in the snow_  
_I said, "You just gonna hold it up?"_  
_She said, "Nah, I'm gonna let it go."_  
_And when your heart hurts days like today are the antidote_  
_If you think just maybe it's her, then promise me, young man_  
_You're gonna let her know_

_You won't go lonely here..._

_It'll all be better in the morning_  
_'Cause while you sleep I'll build a wall_  
_Pick a weapon up or something_  
_We're 'bout to have ourselves a brawl_  
_In the dead of night, one window open_  
_He heard her singing down the hall_  
_Singing 'bout him, least he was hoping_  
_She left her listener enthralled..._

_Who? You, you, yeah,_

_You, yeah..._

Maou's voice faded to a whisper in the walls.

When Suzuno looked down, Alas=Ramus was asleep, a wide smile on her face.

Suzuno and Lucifer sat still, listening as the door to the neighboring apartment opened.

"Maou," said Emi.

"Yeah."

"I'll take the loan. For Alas. For _her_ sake, not mine."

"It was never meant to be a loan, Emi," he replied. "You don't have to pay it back. We . . . we are a family, after all."

A long, soft silence.

"Yeah," she whispered. "I guess we are."

* * *

**Everyone loves Alas=Ramus.**

**Reviews are appreciated!**


	6. Chapter 6 - Snow

**I know, it's been a long time. Sorry! Here is something. Not a real chapter, but something. This one is set in Emi and Maou's distant future. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 5.5?**

**The Devil Starts a Snow War**

Five Ente Islans were enjoying a cold winter day at the park. Suzuno and Lucifer were building a snow fort with Alas=Ramus. Maou and Emi were talking nearby, both sipping from cups of hot chocolate. The Devil was replying to something Emi had asked when he realized they both finished their drinks. He wordlessly took both their paper cups and walked away to dispose of them. When he returned, for a moment, Emi forgot what they were talking about.

He was perfect in that moment. She would never forget it.

Just an ordinary-looking guy with a wide smile, his face bright in the morning light, breath turning to mist in the cold. His crimson eyes shimmered when he looked at her, warming her soul and sending her heart fluttering like a snowflake in the wind.

"Maou," said Emi softly. "You're gonna make me say it."

"Say what?" he asked with a curious smile.

"I . . . argh, you know. You already know."

"No," he teased, "I don't think I do."

"Maou, I . . ." Emi closed her eyes. She was always hesitant to say it, because she still didn't like to admit it openly. "I lo-EEEP!"

The Hero shrieked as a freezing, wet feeling suddenly hit her straight in the face. From nearby, she heard Alas burst out laughing. Maou was already on the run.

"Catch me if you can!" he shouted over his shoulder.

Lucifer grinned. "Hell yeah! Snowball fight!"

"DAMN IT MAOU!" screamed Emi. "I WILL MURDER YOU!"


End file.
